A Clean Shot
by Artist Eyes x
Summary: The daughter of a demon hunting family in Makai, now turned rogue, becomes the famous thief's apprentice. A corrupt legacy that unfolds amidst a budding tale of action, tragedy, loss and stolen hearts.
1. Bad Luck

**A/N:** Hey guys, its been forever since I've written anything for fun, and I've left this story in my documents folder untouched for years. I would always revisit and edit it every so often, and now that I've matured a bit as a writer, I thought it would be fun to come back and publish it for real, and give it a chance. I would love to hear what you think, as I've always loved this story since I first wrote it. This is also the first thing I've published in a long time. Thanks, enjoy!

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Yumi kicked over an empty chest and sighed heavily, her fingertips digging into her hips with frustration. She wandered around the room again, overturning everything with unnecessary force. She double checked under the king sized bed now stripped of its lace sheets, triple-checked the massive mahogany closet with it's barren shelves, and poked around the elegantly stenciled cabinets hollowed of their innards for what felt like the millionth time.

The heels of her boots stomped angrily against the smooth stone of the floor as she marched towards the window on the other side of the master bedroom. Her fingers hooked deeply into the folds of the royal blue drapery that hung against the wall, pulling at it savagely until it tore off and fell with a thud. The fabric was poorly made to her surprise, and would be worth nothing.

 _Nothing_.

She pursed her lips and blew a piece of stray hair out of her face angrily. This was the fourth castle she'd broken into this week that had already been cleaned out.

She glanced around the large, and formerly rich looking room for possible valuables once more, hoping she'd missed something.  
The shiny rubies that were encased onto the intricately carved busts were removed, the silk scarves and jewelry boxes were taken, and anything that was made of a significant metal, from the doorknobs to the furniture handles were long gone. She plopped down onto the floor of the castle's master bedroom and dug around in her worn, holed satchel. She took out a small red pouch and peered inside solemnly. Just as she had suspected, no money left. Her stomach grumbled on cue and she groaned.

Quick, heavy footsteps began coming from down the hall outside the bedroom and she rapidly put her things together. She reached for the nearest item that looked somewhat marketable, a sizable shard of a shattered decorative vase between her feet. As she slipped the sharp porcelain into her satchel, the heavy wooden door behind her burst open. She quickly tied a white cloth around her face to hide her appearance as she began making an exit through the nearby window.

"Stop, thief!" shouted a silver-clad guard. He and two identical others behind him charged at her, their polished swords raised.

She swiftly jumped down from the stone ledge, awkwardly dodging a sword slash to the shoulder, and landed sloppily onto a sturdy tree branch, losing her balance and nearly toppling over. She cursed under her breath and a sweat bloomed across her forehead.

Crouching silently for a few seconds, she looked down and saw from behind the thick cover of foliage that the grounds were crawling with menacing guards. She thought of a quick way to escape, and knew that it might not be the cleanest way out, but she had no other choice. Hurting others was something she avoided at all costs, unless it was necessary.

She steadied her large oak bow and pulled from her quiver a long, steel-tipped arrow. She shut her eyes softly and felt the familiar tingle of her spirit energy flow through her stiffened arms, into her calloused hands, and finally through to the dangerously sharp tip of her arrow. She opened her eyes and saw the sky blue colored cloud of her spiritual essence now swirling intensely around her.

She aimed carefully at a faraway guard, and with a soft 'shhp' sound through the greenery, he hit the ground, a bloodied gaping wound in his shoulder. Amidst the fuss of guards rushing over to their fallen comrade, and others jerking their heads around in every direction upwards into the trees for where the arrow could have come from, Yumi hopped down quietly, and made her exit through the bushes. 

* * *

The marketplace was as busy as always, large stands selling exotic foods and spices, suspicious peddlers promoting cheap items, and a numerous variety of demons coming together to discuss the latest gossip and prices on goods. Children and farm animals ran freely through the social chaos.

Yumi weaved through the noisy crowds and kept her head down, careful to avoid prolonged eye contact. Finding a small empty crevice between two large vegetable stands, she plopped down. She refastened the white cloth over her face tightly, her emerald eyes the only viewable part of her visage. Pulling out a small piece of soft red fabric from her satchel, she laid it on the ground, and placed the shattered piece of porcelain onto it. Now, all she had to do was sit and wait for the money to come in.

Some people simply glanced and kept walking, others didn't look at all, and after a few hours of sitting on the ground without selling it, Yumi was annoyed, tired, and her butt was numb.

She decided to just pack it up for the day and move onto the next town, but an interesting tidbit of conversation caught her attention.

"…said he managed to break into _three properties_ in one day! He cleaned everything out!"

Glancing over towards the chatter, she saw two male demons talking as if they were being watched, looking around cautiously as they bought some fruit.

"Wow…" said the other man. "That Yoko Kurama is not one to be taken lightly. They weren't kidding when they said he was a the King of Thieves. His offenses are too many to count and yet they haven't even come close to catching him!"

"He just robbed Asura's Castle. Rumor has it he's heading up north to the Kohaku Temple to take a few relics. Hopefully they catch that bastard, I'm starting to get worried about my own goods being stolen.."

Yumi's eyes widened as the shock set in. This entire time she had been a step behind this Yoko Kurama character, there to pick up nonexistent remains of the places he's robbed a day or two before. She had heard stories of him from her family when she was a small girl, but never thought much of it and could only remember small details. He was a fox demon with white hair and golden eyes. He had lived for many, many centuries.

She was actually heading to Kohaku Temple next as well, and if she hadn't caught onto this bit of information she would've come up empty handed again, merely a couple days behind.

She swiftly packed up her things and made her way towards the exit of the marketplace, but was stopped by a slimy looking carp demon.

"Why, hello there, friend…" he hissed slowly, grinning in a way that made Yumi's skin crawl. "Are you interested in having your fortune told?" Yumi shook her head politely and tried to continue walking past him, but the demon put his clawed hand on her shoulder.

"It's a special low price, and I'm giving it just to you! I can see it in your eyes, you have a dark destiny ahead of you!"

She quickly jerked her shoulder away from his grasp. "I said I wasn't interested, sir, so please stop insisting I play into your scheme to rob me blind of the money I don't have." she snapped crossly. She had had a long unfruitful day and needed to move quickly if she was going to catch up to the legendary thief.

He glared at her and shoved her. She quickly caught her footing and with inhuman speed drew an arrow into her bow, aiming right at his bug-eyed face. Her defensive reflexes would get her into trouble someday.

"Leave me be, and I will be on my way." She really wasn't looking for an unnecessary fight. She shifted uneasily as she noticed a crowd began to form, stopping to stare at what was going on.

As a crowd had enlarged around the two of them, the carp demon began to play out a large argument in order to attract potential customers.

"Look at this! I sense a dark, dark energy from this young girl!" he shouted dramatically, waving his hands frantically around Yumi. "What? Are you going to fight me?" He turned back towards her, grinning with pointed teeth. "The best fortune teller in all of Makai? You're just a girl, there's nothing you can do! And what're you hiding under that mask? Your ugly face?"

She made the error of mistaking his step back as his retreat from the confrontation, and lowered her bow. He then charged forward as soon as her weapon was down, and tore at her cloth mask before tripping and hitting the floor behind her.

The dust cloud that flew up as the demon fell to the ground began to settle after a few seconds, and Yumi felt the familiar hand of terror gripping at her thumping heart.

Long and pale pink hair flew freely around her shoulders, and her bright green eyes quickly filled with panic. Her cover was blown.

They knew who she was.

Loud gasps and shouts suddenly erupted from the growing crowd, and the carp demon pointed at her face, shaking in fear.

"It's an Aikawa! Aikawa! A member of the demon hunter family!"

Yumi quickly scooped up her torn face cloth and made a quick run for it as she was chased down by an angry mob of teeth-snapping demons. They pursued her a long way out of the town, and she had run for about an hour or two before she finally shook them off, and found herself in the middle of a blackened forest with thick towering trees. 

* * *

Walking a few more miles out of the way just to be safe, her tired legs soon felt like flimsy noodles. She plopped down against a tree trunk and caught her breath. She reached into her satchel and took out a piece of bread she managed to nick as she was making her hasty retreat from the marketplace. She gobbled it down hungrily.

Damn her family. Even after running away from them years ago, their name would be permanently marked through her human-like appearance.

The Aikawas were known famously for their demon hunting throughout the centuries. They were the first group of humans with significant amounts of spirit energy that had somehow found their way into demon world, adapted and settled, and had children. They were soon developing powers throughout the generations to better help them survive in their environment.

They were skilled bowman, swordsman, and martial artists with impressive levels of spirit energy. Trained from a young age to be killers, they kept the family strong in order to survive in such harsh conditions, her ancestors holding onto the silly notion that they would be able to purify the demon world and create a second heaven. Her father had told her this story too many times to count.

Though the Aikawas may have originally been human, over the years they had gained heightened agility and senses, and either unnatural hair or eye colors, or both. The miasma of demon world had also further tapped into their spirit energy, having them develop unique powers, though it was a rare occurrence.

Although famous for their story, they were even more known for fact that they were not only the closest thing to human in demon world, but _incredibly_ human looking, making them stick out quite easily, and the target of many attacks.

The Aikawa family kept under close cover and always stuck together, and because of the treatment of their family line, they had no choice but to keep a strong offense to survive. There were many bounties over their heads, with very large rewards for their capture, alive or dead.

After resting for a few moments, Yumi looked up and saw nightfall rolling in. She decided to look for shelter, and padded through the lush forest for another hour before she found a cave that was practically invisible, tucked away into the bottom of a mountain. Any demon walking around these parts probably would have missed it, and she had happened to catch the cave by a lucky glance.

Her feet made cautious steps toward the small rocky opening. She remained quiet, listening for any sudden noises or the howls of demons. There seemed to be nothing but the hollowed echo of droplets from the cave ceiling, so she walked in.

She realized the cave got larger as she continued through it, and walked a long while before seeing some freshly used torches outside a forked tunnel entrance that veered off into a different direction deep inside.

She was too tired to walk all the way back and look for another place to stay, and decided to just ask whoever was in the cave if she could just stay the night and maybe have something to eat. She quickly retrieved her cloth from her satchel and covered her face before moving forward. She walked about one hundred yards in before coming to the end of the cave, where there was a large, smooth-walled oval shaped room.

Her eyes widened and she had to quickly choke back a loud gasp as she took in the glorious sight of piles and piles of numerous riches that filled the room.  
Jewels, rugs, silk robes, jars of spices, and many other items lay in heaps all over the cave floor. After taking in the vast amounts of goods that sparkled and glimmered deliciously around her, she noticed there were two men sleeping soundly against opposing walls.

The first man was clearly a bat demon, his pointy ears poking out from under a black witch's hat he wore pulled down over his face. His large dark wings were tucked lazily behind him. He wore a shabby black vest and traditional demon clothing. His arms were crossed as he snored lightly.

The second man was unlike one Yumi had ever seen before. Long white hair as pure as the first snowfall, soft fox ears that protruded from his head, and a slender body that was hardened with muscle. He wore a simple, loosened long white tunic that was tied at the waist, and comfortable white traveling shoes. His large tail twitched as she stepped slightly closer to him.

His face was absurdly handsome, with long lashes and a strong jaw. His full mouth seemed to form a pout as his chest rose softly with each slow breath. Large, slender-fingered hands rested open palmed to the ceiling as they lay in the crevice of his crossed legs.

Yumi knew immediately he was Yoko Kurama, and assumed the bat demon was his partner. He must've been hiding here, since it was a secure place and the Kohaku Temple was on the way.

The white hair, the fox ears, the piles of goods from all of the recent robberies that _should've_ been hers. All the clues pointed to the obvious. It _had_ to be him.  
She felt frozen to the spot, and didn't know what to do. Everything around her seemed to still, and the droplets of water that fell every so often around her suddenly seemed roaringly loud in her ears. Her chest contracted against her ribs violently.

Should she take something and get out of there? Or just leave without anything? Should she wake them up and ask them to stay? How dangerous were they?

She had heard stories from her family about Yoko Kurama as a young child, and the more she thought about it, the more she had began to remember some things about him and his bat demon friend, too. She knew they had possessed absurd amounts of strength, cunning and spirit energy, but the years of her childhood had long passed and the memories were muddled. Although she knew it was better to just leave and remove any traces of her presence as soon as possible, she had absolutely no money left.

If she just took one small thing, they wouldn't _really_ notice. Right?

Some sparkling objects caught her eye that were nearest to Yoko Kurama, and she took a quiet, slow breath through her nostrils before tip-toeing silently over.  
She was now in front of a tall pile of stacked decorated rugs that had numerous types of jewelry on top. She slowly reached out and managed to take a large green jewel.  
That would hold her over for quite a bit.

She was about to turn and go, but a beautiful cerulean necklace caught her eye. It reminded her of her youngest sister's eyes, the sister whom she had not seen in years. _Mizuki_ , she almost whispered. She shook her head softly to erase the oncoming memories. There was no time for that kind of emotional pain. She buried it back down deep where it belonged and glanced around the room one last time.

She reached forward to grab the necklace, but quick as lightening, and even before her senses could register it, her wrist was grabbed, and she was thrown down hard against the stone floor, her head making a loud 'thwack'ing sound that bounced against the cave walls.  
Her widened eyes tried to focus on the blurry white figure standing over her, and before she had met unconsciousness, she knew she had been caught. 

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**A/N:** Thanks, guys! Don't forget to drop a review!


	2. Captured

**A/N:** Here's chapter two, just to get the story a little more into perspective. Thanks for reading, don't forget to leave a review!

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Yumi groaned softly as she slowly came to. Her head throbbed tenderly and her mouth was dry. The back of her neck was incredibly sore and her limbs felt stiff. She couldn't remember feeling this terrible in a long time. She could barely even remember where she was.

Her head hung weakly, and when her vision finally adjusted to the dim surroundings, she saw a pile of green and leafy vines snaking around her ankles. Her eyes quickly shot open, and when she tried to move her hands, she realized each one was tied up above her head, by the same green slimy plant. She began to thrash and grunt against the vines, when she heard a frightening sound.

The noise was a low growl that crept a few inches to the left of her face, and she slowly turned to see what it was, fear creeping up her spine.

It was a large, dark pink flower. It's giant petals were brilliantly luminous and waxy, and at the center were smaller blood red petals. Further inside was a huge mouth, with sharp teeth dripping with acid. The droplets burned holes into the cave floor as it fell from the terrifying plant's mouth.

She soon realized the vines were all a part of the same demon plant that had her tied up, and was holding her tightly against the cave wall.

She struggled against them again, her breaths now ragged and shallow.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," came a calm, deep voice from nearby.

She looked up and saw Youko Kurama step forward from the shadows, standing in a space that was previously unoccupied a second ago. She hadn't even sensed his spirit energy moving in the room. Her forehead began to sweat, and she dug her fingernails into her palms to keep from screaming.

"This is an ojigi plant," he continued. "I'm sure you may have heard of it. Even the slightest of movements can trigger it's appetite for your flesh, and I assure you it'd be quite an unpleasant experience. The acid on it's teeth can melt your bones and have you writhing in agony."

Yumi was completely frozen. She didn't need to be told twice not to move. She had a feeling the only reason why the plant hadn't torn her to shreds already was because Youko hadn't wanted it to kill her yet. She was absolutely terrified. All she could do was stare straight ahead at the legendary thief and hope not to die, her heart beating erratically in fear.

"I find it quite amusing that you would think that I would leave myself open to being robbed or attacked by sleeping as soundly as you thought I was. What is even more amusing is that you thought you could get away with it. Do you not know who I am? I am assuming you do, being that you are one of the famous demon hunters from the Aikawa family."

He approached her more closely as he absentmindedly stroked the large ojigi plant with a strange affection.

Yumi remained silent, unsure of what to say. She stayed as motionless as possible, her wide eyes focused on Youko's face and not on the man-eating plant that snapped playfully a few inches from her ear. Her chest rose with ragged breaths, and she saw from the corner of her eye the plant draw slightly closer, it's mouth wide, and teeth poised for attack.

A whimper threatened to escape her, but she bit her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. How did he know who she was? She then looked down and noticed the cloth that hid her identity was gone. Her long, light pink hair hanging down past her shoulders. She gasped and the plant hissed threateningly.

"Yes, I removed your disguise." He held up the tattered and dirtied cloth for a moment before letting it fall to the cave floor.

"Is that why you came here? To attempt uselessly to capture me? On your own? If this was the case, then why would you steal from me at the same time? Are the Aikawas not known for their strict code of honor and noble morals?" His voice was a soothing tenor that coasted almost sensually over every syllable.

There was the sudden sound of crash and someone tripping towards the entrance of the room, and a loud string of curses in the distance.

" _Son of a_ -Kurama, can you tell me when you've got man eating plants running around before I come in here assuming I won't be eaten?" came a grumbling voice.

Even in the dim light of the cave, Yumi could tell it was the bat demon, his partner.

"You should know by now that I show my teeth when attacked, Kuronue." he replied coolly, rubbing the tip of a large dark petal tenderly.

"Point taken," he sighed. "I see that our little thief is finally awake."

"She's an Aikawa."

Yumi saw a vine move upwards towards her chin, and she flinched as it lifted her face forward.

"Incredible how human-looking she is," said Kuronue, now standing next to Kurama, observing her as if she were a strange animal. "It's a wonder how any of them have even lasted in Makai this long. I'm enjoying this view, though." He grinned as his eyes took in the shape her body, incapacitated by the thick vines, but then he frowned. "Even if she is kind of flat-chested."

Kurama ignored him. "Spit it out," he suddenly said, his eyes narrowing on Yumi's sweaty face. "Why did you come here? Explain or I'll feed you to my pet."

Yumi fought off the fear with all that she had. If there was one thing she had learned from her family, it was to try to keep cool. Even if you were afraid, act as if you weren't. Demons fed off the fear, and it fueled their excitement for blood.

She assessed the distance of the dark pink plant, before clearing her dry throat and speaking, trying to mask the shakiness in her voice.

"My name is Yumi Aikawa," she began softly. "I ran away from my family a few years ago, and I started out being just a traveler. I couldn't find a job or a home or stay in one place because of bounty hunters after my life, or my family searching for me, so I became a thief. It's the only way I can survive. I'm not extremely good at it, but I'm good enough to get by, somewhat," she sighed, and couldn't help rolling her eyes at the situation she was in.

Kuronue snickered.

"I've been down on my luck lately, because it seems the two of you have been cleaning out places a day or two before I reach them, and I don't have any money. The last place I was at was Asura's Castle, and I couldn't really manage to find anything worth selling at the marketplace. As I was leaving the town, I got into a fight with a fortune teller, and my identity was revealed. I was chased out of town and after a few hours I finally found this cave to take up shelter in. I could see it was occupied by the torches, so I decided to just ask whoever was in here if I could stay for the night. Then I saw all the piles of stuff here, and I figured if I just took one or two things you wouldn't notice, and I'd be comfortable for a while, and then I guess you caught me, and here I am, hanging from a wall in a cave with the King of Thieves."

She exhaled nervously, ignoring the disturbingly warm breath of the ojigi plant sliding over her cheeks, poised for a bite at any given moment. Her eyes stayed focused on golden smolder of the fox demon's.

Yoko stared back, considering her response.

She matched his gaze with determination, trying to gauge his reaction. His eyes were incredibly deep, but clouded by layer upon layer of guard, letting not one of his thoughts betray his cool visage.

She could tell he was definitely a person who needed to observe things from every angle, and see what a person was capable of before determining what to do. He was intelligent, and refined in his mannerisms, which had probably kept him alive and uncaught for so many centuries.

"So, do we let the plant eat her or not?" asked Kuronue, picking at his nails in a bored fashion. "We've got to clear out of here soon." He yawned.

Yumi glared at him with daggers in her eyes, and he smirked back, winking.

She didn't know how to feel about the fact that her life may come to an end this very moment. It was almost as if she was so afraid, she had became apathetic and numb.

She couldn't feel anything.

She dragged her eyes back over to Kurama and stared, waiting. How much longer would she be on this plane of consciousness? A few minutes? A few seconds?

How had she, an Aikawa, succumbed to such a fate? How could she have not been more careful walking into such a situation? Had her family not trained her from a young age to defend herself against demons? She mentally cursed herself for her impulsive tendencies, and for slacking off in her training all these years as a wanderer. These stupid mistakes may as well have cost her her life at this very moment.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity of long silence, Yumi heard the two words she'd never thought she'd hear from the merciless Kurama.

"Release her."

"Hah, I knew it. Let her- _what_?" Kuronue did a double take and stared at him in utter shock. "Kurama?"

Youko flicked his wrist gently, and the plant released it's hold on Yumi, growing smaller and smaller until it was a tiny seed. Youko bent down and retrieved it, placing it in his hair before gazing venomously towards Yumi. His face was hardened, almost as if he was fighting with himself.

She rubbed her wrists softly, thick pink lines cut into them from the tightness of the vines. She cowered slightly under his powerful stare, but she never looked away. Why in the world was he letting her go? Perhaps he started out thieving the same way as her? Separated or abandoned from family, just trying to live day to day. Hadn't all thieves begun the same way? Maybe he could tell her stealing wasn't meant maliciously, and that she wasn't trying to capture him.

She could easily figure out that kindly letting her go on her way wasn't something he had done typically. Considering the stories she had heard about Youko and judging from his companion's response he was quite the hard ass. Yet at the same time she could tell he wanted to maintain his authority and toughness, and not show mercy, because it was a sign of weakness.

"Listen here, now, arrogant woman. I am releasing you, and I expect to never see you again. If I do, I will not hesitate to end your life. And take this insurmountable favor from the King of Thieves and know that this is not one that will ever be repeated or done again for anyone. And if you are to tell our location or any of the things you've seen taken here to the outside, know that I will find you without a problem, and it won't be a pleasant visit."

Kuronue stood flabbergasted next to him, completely confused by the act, and he turned to stare at Yumi incredulously.

An idea suddenly came to her, one that was crazy, and she knew that if she asked he might change his mind about killing her, but if she's come this far, why not take it further?

"Kurama-sama," she said, bowing, and addressing him politely to help the plea she was about to present to him. "I was just wondering if…maybe I could…come with the both of you? I promise not to be a burden, and I'm quite skilled at picking locks. I'll keep to myself and help you out as well."

Kuronue's eyebrows shot up, and he looked over at Kurama, who seemed to be mildly shocked and quite annoyed.

"Do you not realize that I could easily end your life this very _second_? And not only did I do the unthinkable and impossible - _spare_ you a terrible death, but now you're asking to join me as if all of a sudden we're _comrades_? Not to mention the fact that I had easily incapacitated you without even blinking. Not only would you be a burden, but a weakling such as yourself would have no place with skilled bandits."

Every word was utterly smoothly, and laced with venom that seemed even more dangerous that the one from the ojigi plant.

Yumi suddenly regretted asking, and she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. She bowed quickly once more, her face a bright red.

"I shall take my leave. I'm sorry for bothering you." She quickly grabbed her personal items which were tossed nearby in a pile, and made a hasty retreat. As she exited, the entire time she could feel Kurama's eyes boring into her with what seemed like hatred. She hadn't felt this awful in a long, long time.

Her mind raced with unanswered questions.

If he was going to kill her, why would she feel _bad_ for him? He'd murdered countless demons and she was going to become just another number.

Had she really let herself become so weak that she would be insulted by a high class demon like Youko Kurama? He had seen her as immensely inferior, barely a threat if any, and it had angered her in a way she had never been angry before.

Her face burned with humiliation, and she vowed that today would be the day that she would make great changes to herself.

But even with his insults and anger, he related to her…and he showed her mercy. Underneath her shattered ego was respect for this man; for what he had accomplished and how he remained at the top for so long. She wanted approval over revenge, and it was a foreign feeling to her. She had never felt the need to prove herself to anyone, not even her family.

As she neared the entrance of the cave she decided to skip Kohaku Temple altogether and head to the town of Gandara to find a teacher to increase her skill, and further what latent talent she had already had.

And even though he said he'd kill her if he saw her again, deep in her bones she knew she'd see the King of Thieves once more.

She'd make sure of it.

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 **A/N:** Thanks for reading! Drop one for me down there ;D


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